Reality Therapy
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Reality Therapy, William Glasser
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[edit] Descriptions, Definitions, Synonyms, Organizer Terms, and Types of
Reality therapy was developed by Glasser, William a psychiatrist, who was trained in (but later rejected) the concepts of psychoanalysis and views of behavior developed by Freud, Sigmund. Glasser holds the view that people who are behaving in inappropriate ways do not need help to find a defense for their behavior. Instead, they need help to acknowledge their behavior as being inappropriate and then to learn how to act in a more logical and productive manner. The bare bones of Glasser's theory are that people are required to live in a world full of other human beings, and every individual must learn to satisfy his own needs in a way that does not encroach upon on another person's needs (Wolfgang, 2004).
Present reality therapy theory is based on the concept that our brain works as a control system. Therefore, if the brain is a control system, then all of our behavior is to fulfill needs built into the genetic structure of that system. This means that we, as well as all living organisms, spend our lives attempting to act upon, or more accurately, to control the world around us to fulfull powerful needs built into our structure. Therefore, we are not only completely internally motivated in contrast to the concepts of most psychological systems which are some variation of externally motivated behaviorism, but all of our behavior is for the purpose of fulfilling needs built into the system...Reality therapy attempts to help people control the world around them more effectively so that they are better able to satisfy their needs. (Corsini, 1984, p.321)
According to the website for the William Glasser Institute, some of the basic premises of Reality Therapy are as follows:
- Focus on the present and avoid discussing the past.
- Encourage people to judge their actions by "Is what I am doing getting me closer to what I need?"
- Help people create specific, workable plans to succeed in fulfilling their needs, and then follow through by helping them evaluate their progress (William Glasser Institute, 2004).
Glasser draws on the teachings W. Edwards Deming in regard to his Quality School system. Deming taught the Japanese how to redesign their factories in their democratic society after World War II (Wolfgang, 2001). Glasser equates our traditional school system to the failed factory model and calls on schools and teachers to apply Deming's principles of Quality Systems to classroom practices and Quality Schools (Wolfgang, 2001).
[edit] Reality Therapy Applications to Classrooms and Similar Settings
All participants within the classroom have responsibilities. The teacher has a responsibility to teach in a way that makes their subject relevant and interesting. The students have the responsibility to show up to class, study, and learn (Porter, 1996). Students need to be viewed as potentially capable, not as impaired by their environment. Glasser believes that school can be a proving ground for all of life. If a student can succeed at school, no matter what his background, he can also succeed in life (Glasser, 1969).
In the classroom, the teacher needs to show students that doing successful work at school will add to their quality of life. He/she needs to create an interesting learning environment within the class. Another role of the teacher in the Glasser classroom is to establish a sense of rapport with the students to help them take responsibility for themselves (Porter, 1996). See Control theory for further information.
[edit] Evidence of Effectiveness
Quality Schools
A school that incorporates Glasser's theories is considered to be a Quality School (Wolfgang, 2004). One of the schools that is currently certified as a Quality School is Charyl Stockwell Academy in Howell, Michigan. The Academy has been given several criteria, partially based on Glasser's Reality Therapy, that qualifies them to be a Quality School. These six criteria are as follows:
- Relationships are based upon trust and respect, and all discipline problems, not incidents, have been eliminated.
- Total Learning Competency is stressed and an evaluation that is below competence or what is now a B has been eliminated.
- All students do some Quality Work each year that is significantly beyond competence. All such work receives an A grade or higher, such as an A+.
- Staff, students, parents and administrators view the school as a joyful place.
- Students and staff are taught to use Choice Theory in their lives and in their work at school.
- Students do better on state proficiency tests and college entrance exams. The importance of these tests are emphasized in school (Charyl Stockwell Academy).
To see a list of the Declared Quality Schools as of Sept. 2005, see this page.
The Research
A study was done on reality therapy by Masters and Laverty in 1977. This is probably the best designed and most thorough of the studies on reality therapy that have been done. Five matched pairs of schools were randomly assigned to an experimental or a control group. Experimental groups were evaluated after their first and second years of reality therapy, and were compared to the control groups at the end of their first year. The results were only mildly in favor of using reality therapy. A result of the study found after doing a teacher evaluation, was that there was more acceptance of student ideas, but not of student feelings. Also, teacher scales that measured attitudes that followed the reality therapy philosophy revealed significant differences between the pretest and the posttest. Effects on students, however, were not found by the researchers. Achievement and attitude tests revealed no differences between the control and the experimental groups. A significant difference was also found in the rate of discipline referrals between the groups, although this result could have several different interpretations (Moles, 1990, chap. 7).
Critics and Their Rationales
Of course, there are people who criticize Glasser's theories. One website says that Glasser ignores feelings, the unconscious, the effect of childhood trauma, and the power of the past. This same site states that Reality Therapy fails to take into account the role of society and culture in shaping behavior. The treatment may be treating only symptoms, and not considering deeper issues (Simpson College, 2004). Another writer points out the difficulty of implementing Glasser's theories in a school setting. The school system puts restraints on the school, such as standardized exams, that makes it difficult to completely follow the Quality School format. It is also difficult to make it into a college without conventional grades (Randall, 2004).
[edit] Diversity Considerations
[edit] Testimonies
- I am more of a Rules and Consequences type of teacher. I establish rules at the beginning of the school year and review these rules and their consequences with my students. When a rule is broken, I enforce the consequence relevant to the inappropriate behavior exhibited by the student. I agree with Glasser that students need help acknowledging that their behavior is inappropriate and learning to act in an appropriate manner, thus the rules and consequences in my classroom. I don't however agree that students misbehave because they are escaping reality. I think that some students push limits and many believe that everything, especially classroom rules, are negotiable. I also don't use contracting with students. I see the advantages and empowerment of contracting, but do not think it is feasible in class sizes of 30+ students. Discipline and classroom management techniques need to work for each individual teacher; mine does not include Reality Therapy. E. Morrison
- I have never had any experience with using any of Glasser's theories in education. I suppose that I put some of his ideas into practice when I don't let any student's background hinder him from succeeding in school. I would disagree, though, with the idea that you should ignore the past. A teacher can understand a lot about a student, and in turn help that student more, by understanding where they came from. I definitely agree that teachers have a responisibility to make their subject interesting and relevant to students' lives. I always try to do this in my band classroom. I know that most of the students who walk through my door will not become music majors in college. I talk about the many different careers that can be found in music, but I also talk about how the students can continue to enjoy music all through their lives, regardless of their future career. I want my students to learn things in my classroom that will help them to be more successful in life. I want them to learn things that will help them to enjoy life to its fullest. Elizabeth Giger
- Not everyone has the same experiences coming into a classroom. It is the teachers job to explain what is meant by particular expected behaviors. Not all students know when they are being rude for example. Most of us understand that talking while someone else is talking is rude. Not all students have this same understanding. The way to address this is to point out to the students that talking while someone else is talking is rude and disrespectful, now that we all understand that, if you continue, you are being rude and disrespectful. Now that the foundation and explaination of the rule has been set the teacher can now safely assume that the rule should be followed by all students. C. Watson
At an alternative school that I interned at the instructor used aspects of reality therapy. She emphasized a focus on the present and not what the student may or may not have done in the past. The students also had specific plans for how they were supposed to graduate. Finally, the students were not to view themselves as victims but rather do whatever they needed to do to make sure that they graduated. Therefore, even though some of these students had extremely difficult home lives, the instructor showed little pity for them. Some of the students really benefited for the reality therapy, but others who were dealing with especially difficult problems found it hard to put aside their life situation. B. Harnden
I don't believe Reality Therapy really says ignore the past. The past should be considered only as it impacts the present. I do think it is practical and helpful overall in many situations to seek to move people away from dwelling and basing their lives on the past. The present is the only thing that can be changed. RT is mostly a problem solving process. True, there is a place for in-depth counseling more some problems. You can set clear examples while allowing for choice. I tell my students that all assignments are optional. They know the reward and must decide how to proceed. It emphasizes choice, but has a consequence format. A person once recommended to me to manage protocol, not people. W. T.
[edit] References
Charyl Stockwell Academy. (n.d.). Curriculum/Methodology: Glasser Quality School. Retrieved October 2, 2004 from http://www.csaschool.com/site/curriculum.asp?id=183
Corsini, R. (1984). "Current Psychotherapies." Itasca, IL: F.E. Peacock Publishers, Inc.
Emmer, E.T., & Aussiker, A. (1990). School and classroom discipline programs: How well do they work? In Moles, O.C. (Ed.), Student discipline stragtegies: research and practice (chap. 7). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Glasser, W. (1969). "Schools without failure." New York: Harper and Row.
Porter, L. (1996). "Student behaviour: Theory and practice for teachers." Sydney: Allen and Unwin.
Randall, Kevin. (2004). "The theories of William Glasser." Retrieved December 13, 2004, from http://www.kevinrandell.com/docs/sci_port/EDU4112_Glasser_essay.doc
Simpson College. (n.d.). "Reality Therapy-William Glasser." Retrieved November 19, 2004, from http://hamarscompendium.com/Simpson%20College/reality_therapy.htm
William Glasser Institute. (2004, September 28). Reality Therapy. Retrieved October 2, 2004, from http://www.wglasser.com/whatisrt.htm
